20: Chen Meng: So frail!

Li Qing looked at the five-finger hole.

His mouth twitched, and he sighed inwardly.

If anyone found out that a supposedly weak attendant could punch a hole through a solid wooden bedboard, it would be a huge mess.

He quickly got up and stealthily flipped the damaged bedboard over.

He then found some hay from the corner and stuffed it under the bedding, making it look like the bed was just uneven.

After finishing all this, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The martial arts hall was full of people and talk, and experts were as common as clouds.

He heard there was even the third Realm of martial arts, the Meridian Opening Realm.

He hadn't been idling around these past few days.

He knew a thing or two about martial arts Realms now.

Body Tempering Realm (Body Refining and Foundation Establishment)

At the start of martial arts, one tempers the Physical Body, polishes the blood and qi, and strengthens the muscles and bones to lay a foundation for future cultivation.

When your strength reaches a thousand jin and you can feel internal qi, you are in the Body Tempering Realm.

When internal qi becomes force and condenses into True Qi, that is the second Realm of martial arts, the Condensing Essence Realm.

One can then use Internal Force to attack, enhancing the power of Martial Skills, with a punch that can shake the heavens and crack the earth.

Afterward, using True Qi to open up all the Meridians in the body, making the blood and True Qi surge like a Great River, endless and unceasing.

That makes one a member of the third Realm, the Meridian Opening Realm!

As for the fourth Realm, Li Qing hadn't found out yet.

He only knew that each Realm was divided into Early Stage, Middle Stage, Late Stage, and Peak.

The gap between each stage was significant.

The basic requirement for an Outer Sect Disciple of the Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall was the Early Stage of the Body Tempering Realm.

The basic requirement for an Inner Sect Disciple was the Late Stage of the Body Tempering Realm.

True Disciples were required to be at the Late-stage Condensing Yuan Realm.

One could imagine the prestige of a True Disciple!

He heard the Hall Master was a great expert at the Peak of the Meridian Unblocking Realm.

He already had a decent reputation here in Jiangling City.

Therefore...

Laying low was the way to go!

"Mmm~ It's dawn already."

On the bed next to him, Hou San rubbed his bleary eyes and sat up.

He gave a long yawn and asked casually.

"Li Qing, you're up so early? Didn't sleep well last night?"

"It's fine, I'm used to it."

Li Qing responded with feigned calmness, but his heart tightened.

Hou San stretched, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over Li Qing, and he suddenly let out a "Huh?"

"Brother Li Qing, how come I feel like you've grown a bit taller?"

He squinted his eyes and tilted his head, looking puzzled.

Li Qing's heart skipped a beat.

Here it comes!

His height had jumped from 1.5 meters to 1.6 meters; a ten-centimeter change was indeed quite obvious to someone sleeping in the same room for several days.

He forced a simple and honest smile onto his face and scratched his head.

"Is that so?"

"Maybe. I've been eating well and sleeping well at the martial arts hall lately, so I'm growing."

As he spoke, his stomach let out an earth-shattering rumble at a very inopportune moment.

"Gurgle~"

The sound was loud.

Hou San was startled by the noise and stared blankly at Li Qing's stomach.

After a while, he managed to squeeze out a sentence.

"Brother, what kind of growth is this? You're this hungry first thing in the morning?"

Hou San looked at the skinny Li Qing.

He was a head shorter than him.

He found the martial arts hall's attendant meals sufficient.

He wasn't even this hungry when he woke up.

This kid really was in a growth spurt.

Li Qing's face turned red, and he wished he could find a hole to crawl into.

This was too embarrassing.

He would have to be more careful the next time his Clone evolved.

He could only laugh awkwardly and quickly put on his clothes.

"I get hungry fast, I get hungry fast. I'll go to the Dining Hall to see if breakfast is served."

After saying that, he fled in panic... The Dining Hall of the Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall still had that same old taste.

The ladle in the hands of the auntie serving the food seemed to have a mind of its own, accurately avoiding the only few scraps of meat in the pot every time.

A scoop of brown rice porridge so thin you could see the bottom and a pair of chopsticks' worth of dark pickles—that was the attendants' breakfast.

Li Qing held his bowl and looked at the watery porridge that reflected his haggard image, feeling like crying but having no tears.

This little bit of food wasn't even enough to wet his throat, let alone fill his stomach.

He downed the porridge in one gulp, but that gnawing sense of hunger only became more intense.

Not far away, at the Inner Sect Disciples' table, it was a completely different scene.

Steaming hot meat buns were piled up like small mountains, thick meat porridge emitted an enticing aroma, and there were also golden boiled eggs.

That scent was like invisible little hands scratching at Li Qing's internal organs.

He looked at his empty bowl again, his heart filled with grief and indignation.

Even in the same martial arts hall, the gap between people was greater than the gap between a person and a dog.

"Hey, brother, finished eating?"

Hou San came over with his bowl, looking surprised when he saw Li Qing's empty bowl.

"You're quite fast."

Li Qing nodded, feeling so weak he was about to ascend to heaven.

In the morning, Chen Meng was practicing in the courtyard.

"Li Qing, go and fill the water vat in the courtyard."

That water was for her to use while practicing her Cultivation Technique.

It was consumed very quickly.

This was where the role of an attendant came in.

She was dripping with fragrant sweat and gave the order casually.

"Alright, Senior Sister."

Li Qing responded and walked toward the two half-man-high wooden buckets.

He took a deep breath; he had to control himself, and then control himself some more.

He reached out and carefully lifted the bucket's handle.

The force he used was so small it was like picking up an embroidery needle.

The two water buckets felt light in his hands, no different from two empty cardboard boxes.

But he had to put on an expression of effort and heaviness on his face.

With this acting, it would be a waste of talent not to go and win an Oscar.

Arriving at the well, he grabbed the rope and began to draw water.

With just a slight bit of force, the bucket shot up like a rocket, nearly taking the stone railing of the well with it.

Li Qing broke out in a cold sweat and quickly relaxed his strength.

Pretending to be out of breath, he slowly pulled the bucket up.

Walking back with two full buckets of water, he was even more cautious with every step.

He felt like he wasn't carrying water, but holding two bundles of explosives.

He was afraid that with one slip-up, if he used too much force, he would crush the handles.

Chen Meng finished a set of palm techniques, retracted her stance, and happened to see Li Qing walking over unsteadily with the water, fine beads of sweat on his forehead.

She frowned slightly and sighed in her heart.

Father said he was a steady person, but I see he's a bit clumsy.

He struggles even with this kind of manual labor. I really don't know what Father was thinking, letting him be an attendant.

Protect against fire, theft, and Senior Brothers?

With his weak little body, a gust of wind could blow him over.

Forget about protecting against Senior Brothers, he probably couldn't even beat a stray cat in the martial arts hall.

Chen Meng shook her head, didn't look any further, and turned to go back into her room.

Li Qing poured the water into the vat and let out a long sigh of relief.

Life as an attendant really tested one's acting skills.

Throughout the morning, Li Qing spent his time in the torment of hunger and controlling his strength.

He felt like a beggar with billions in assets—possessing a mountain of treasure but about to starve on the streets.

No, he couldn't go on like this.

In the afternoon, while Chen Meng was meditating in her room, Li Qing made an excuse that he wanted to continue exploring the city and slipped out of the martial arts hall.

He had only one thought now.

Eat!

He didn't dare go to the restaurants near the martial arts hall for fear of running into acquaintances.

Besides, with the money he had on him, he was afraid it wouldn't even cover one meal at a restaurant.

He walked quickly, ducked into a secluded alley in the south of the city, and found an inconspicuous little eatery.

"Boss, bring me twenty meat buns and ten bowls of beef noodles!"

Li Qing sat down and shouted to the fat boss busy behind the stove, his voice trembling slightly.

From hunger.

The fat boss looked up and sized up the sallow and emaciated youth, thinking he had misheard.

"Guest, how many did you say?"

"Twenty buns, ten bowls of noodles!"

Li Qing pulled out a piece of broken silver from his robe and slapped it on the table.

"Bring them out first, I'll add more if it's not enough!"

The fat boss's eyes lit up, and without further questions, he briskly got to work.

Soon, baskets of steaming meat buns and bowls of fragrant beef noodles were brought out, almost filling the entire table.

The other diners at the neighboring tables were stunned.

Li Qing didn't care about anything else; he grabbed a bun and stuffed it into his mouth.

Delicious!

So delicious!

The freshness of the meat, the chewiness of the noodles, and the richness of the soup exploded on his taste buds, turning into waves of warmth that poured into his long-parched stomach.

He devoured everything like a whirlwind, his speed astonishing.

One bun was gone in two bites.

One bowl of noodles was finished in a few gulps.

The fat boss and the diners went from initial shock to numbness, and finally, only awe remained.

This wasn't eating; this was clearly making an offering to his stomach!

Anyone with this kind of appetite was undoubtedly a Martial Artist.

Martial Artists usually required high-intensity training and combat, which consumed a massive amount of energy.

Food was the best source of replenishment.

Generally, Martial Artists would go to restaurants.

Because much of the food in restaurants was Vicious Beast meat.

The energy contained within was far beyond that of ordinary food.

Of course, the price was also vastly different.

This was the first time they had seen such a situation at a small stall.

"Boss, another twenty buns and ten bowls of noodles!"

"Coming right up!"

Half an hour later, the empty bowls and empty steamer baskets in front of Li Qing were piled into two small mountains.

He gave a long belch, finally feeling that deadly hunger being suppressed.

A surging heat rose from his stomach and quickly spread to his limbs.

Strength, an explosive sense of strength!

He settled the bill; forty buns and twenty bowls of noodles cost him nearly three hundred wen.

Li Qing felt a bit of a sting in his wallet, but he was mostly satisfied.

He walked out of the eatery, feeling as if the whole world had become clearer.

It seemed that going out for extra meals every day would be a necessity from now on.

He had to find a way to earn back this expense.

On the way back to the martial arts hall, Li Qing's mind became active.

His consciousness sank into his mind, switching to the Clone's perspective.

Splash!

Dark, cold river water enveloped his entire body.

The four-meter-long Black Armored Turtle lay quietly in the narrow tributary's riverbed.

To it, this place was now like a bathtub.

"It seems this small creek can no longer hold you."

Li Qing had a thought.

"Go to the Great River, find a good spot with deep water, swift currents, and many reefs, and claim a territory to become king!"